Vikas Kumar on being the corrupt cop in ‘Ajji’ and more…

‘Ajji’ is one hard-hitting tale that will leave your soul with scars. It is a story about a 10-year-old girl getting raped and his grandmother calling for justice for her. It’s only when the corrupt system fails to get her justice, the grandmother takes charge. Well turning the tables, here we have the corrupt cop sharing his tale. Vikas Kumar, who has essayed the role of a good and honest cop many times in C.I.D. and other films, has turned grey in this one.

In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Bubble, he shares his experience of being the corrupt one in ‘Ajji’.

Tell us something about your role in ‘Ajji’…
In ‘Ajji’, I am playing a cop. I have done a few cop roles earlier, but for a change I am playing a corrupt cop in this one. Not that his corruption can be justified but he is fighting his own battle. He is trying to survive in a majoritarian surrounding. What he is doing in terms of being corrupt, he is doing because he literally does not have a choice. He has to cater to the powers that be, basically the local politician and his goon son. What he does is that he tries to manipulate the situation so that he can survive. And may be make a little buck here and there.

Any special preparations for this role?
I think Devasish’s (director) script is very detailed and it tells you a lot. You actually don’t need to do some preparation outside. Plus then there is Devasish himself, in terms of whatever you want to know. We got an elaborate rehearsal of 10 odd days where we played out almost all the important scenes which is like the entire film. There we got to know a lot about our characters. All the co-actors came in and we performed the scenes. On the dialect and all Devasish writes pretty much what you have to say. I did not have to meet any cop for this role.

Have you ever had an encounter with a corrupt cop in real?
I don’t know how corrupt or not corrupt, but I have met some nasty ones. I lost my luggage once in Varanasi and I went to file an FIR and the cop made me feel so guilty about it, not in a nice way. If it were that fatherly thing that ‘beta dhyaan rakho’, no, he just ripped me apart totally. I had just passed out of the school and I had my books, luggage and some money that my father had given me to join some coaching. Before even leaving the station, I lost everything. I am sure they (cops) are aware of it but he treated me as if it was all my fault. Then in Delhi, once I was returning from a 9 to 12 show, a cop stopped us and he asked where are you coming from? Then he saw a packet of laddoos and he took it. But then I have come across some helpful cops too.

What was your reaction when you read the script of ‘Ajji’?
One, the script kept me hooked and second thing is that the script hits you in many places. When you are reading the script you are saying the lines in your mind. It is almost half playing it out. So when you are reading the lines, it hits you hard. Especially the way my part speaks at times. There is one portion in between wherein my character says that ‘what is the proof that she has been raped?’ I am talking about a ten year old girl. What is he trying to say, was it consensual? So it hits you in more than one ways.

How is Devasish as a director?
He is a very simple, sorted, courteous and a nice man. Second thing is that he knows his craft very well. He knows what he wants, what kind of shots he wants and that’s a confidence booster. He knows everything. Many a times when you are not very sure about the character, he acts as a guide. He keeps encouraging you and asks you to challenge yourself. He is always charged up.

This year small-budget films like ‘Lipstick Under My Burkha’ and others have worked really well for the audience. Do you think ‘Ajji’ will be able to be in that league?
I hope so. Nothing sensational in it, there is nothing controversial. It is a simple subject but very hard-hitting, very real. It does not have songs but it is a very nicely, sensibly, honestly told story. If you say good cinema and you market it in the right way, I think there was always an audience for it. It does reach out to people very well. It is important that such stories be told. Like ‘Lipstick Under My Burkha’, ‘Death In The Gunj’ worked really well. So I hope ‘Ajji’ does it too.

How has your career as a dialogue coach been?
Dialogue coaching has been good. Jitna mein time deta hoon, uss mein toh it has been good. A lot of my friends are like why don’t you fully concentrate on this and take it ahead. But I came here to act. I am passionate about both, so I don’t want to choose one. I have a firm called ‘Strictly Speaking’ that has my wife and few other friends who are very actively involved in different projects. Whenever time allows me, I am always available as a dialogue coach. It helps my kitchen running and helps me choose my acting project. I have found a good balance.

How has it been training the biggest names in the industry?
Whoever I have worked with, from Naseer saab to Vidya Balan to Arshad Warsi to Aditya Roy Kapur to Kalki, I have managed to strike a good rapport with all where it has been good exchange of thoughts. They have taken all the inputs from me, they have confided in me. Very often a dialogue coach doubles up as acting coach. As an actor you communicate and most of it is through dialogues. So at times they end up saying how you say it. It is just 10 day workshop but they need to have confidence in you.

Nikita Thakkar

A strongly opinionated, free-spirited, budding Bollywood journalist, she likes to write anything in her own quirky style. When not running around to get assigned tasks completed, you will find her either painting, indulging in photography or dreaming in the la la land.